Frühförderung

Early intervention is aimed at disabled children or children at risk of becoming disabled from birth until they start school at the latest. It offers advice and support to parents.

Early intervention is aimed at disabled children or children at risk of becoming disabled from birth until they start school at the latest. It offers advice and support to parents.

More details on the requirements for special education early intervention centers, interdisciplinary early intervention centers and social pediatric centers were agreed upon in the state framework recommendation for the implementation of the Federal Early Intervention Ordinance (FrühV) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern signed by the responsible rehabilitation agencies.

The state framework agreement on early detection and early intervention for children with disabilities and children at risk of becoming disabled in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern according to § 46 paragraph 4 SGB IX (LRV M-V § 46 paragraph 4 SGB IX) is currently being negotiated between the service providers and the rehabilitation agencies.

Disabled children and children at risk of becoming disabled are supported in special education early intervention centers, interdisciplinary early intervention centers and social pediatric centers.

Which of these facilities provides the support depends on the following

• the type, severity or duration of the child's illness, or
• a threatening illness of the child,
• the services required by the child or parents/caregivers, and
• where these services are offered.

The services are free of charge for parents and children.

Support in a Heilpädagogische Frühförderstelle (FF) or Interdisziplinäre Frühförderstelle (IFF):

They are services and facilities close to families and homes. The centers help with the early identification, treatment and support of children, also in collaboration with medical professionals, therapists and educators. The aim is to identify an impending disability or one that has already occurred as early as possible and then mitigate it through support and treatment measures. The services are provided on an outpatient basis, in some cases also on a mobile basis.

Within the initial consultation in the sense of a low-threshold consultation offer with the parents / caregivers of the child, it must be clarified which service is recommended.

Early intervention must be arranged by a contracted physician (specialist in pediatrics and adolescent medicine or general medicine) or a physician of the public health service (pediatrician and adolescent health service). If, after the initial diagnosis, treatment and support in one of these early intervention centers is indicated, a support and treatment plan is drawn up together with the parents or a caregiver of the child. The result is also communicated to the treating family doctor. The initial diagnosis is covered by the health insurance. If further treatment is provided at an Early Intervention Center for Special Education, the costs are covered by the social welfare/integration assistance providers or the public youth welfare providers. In the case of an Interdisciplinary Early Intervention Center, the costs are shared. The costs for the curative education part are borne by the social welfare/integration assistance providers or the public youth welfare providers, while the medical-therapeutic treatments are borne by the health insurance funds.

Support in social pediatric centers (SPC):

Children who cannot be treated by suitable doctors or in suitable interdisciplinary early intervention centers because of the nature, severity or duration of their disability or impending disability are treated in social pediatric centers. The referral of disabled children or children at risk of disability to SPCs is arranged by contract physicians in private practice. In the SPC, diagnostics, treatment and support are carried out in close cooperation with the referring physician, the parents, other institutions providing treatment and support, and the social environment. Compared to the early intervention centers, more medical and therapeutic treatments are carried out in social pediatric centers. The centers are under medical supervision. The costs are covered by the health insurance companies. The social and youth welfare offices pay for the educational services. In an SPC, medical-therapeutic services can be provided for children and adolescents up to the age of 18.

There is no fixed deadline for the start of the measures.

Early detection and early support can begin at birth or in the case of abnormalities during early childhood development and ends at the latest when the child is admitted to school.

If you have questions or need concrete help, contact the responsible rehabilitation agency or a remedial early intervention center, an interdisciplinary early intervention center or a social pediatric center in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The earlier you seek advice, the better.

The responsible rehabilitation agencies in the field of early diagnosis and early support are the social welfare agencies/integration assistance, the public youth welfare agencies, the statutory health insurance funds and the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for the field of war victim care and war victim welfare in the context of social compensation for health damage.